Power Struggle
by kasigirlmccarty
Summary: Akito gave control of the Sohma family to Kyo, Yuki, and Haru. 20 years later, Akito's son shows up claiming that she had told him that they had FORCED her to give up her control. How will their kids take this claim? Next generation. Full Summary inside
1. Meet Akira

**Heylo Guys! How are you? Anyway, I started Rereading Furuba and I just TOTALLY had this idea for a story. I'm sort of busy with other things, but I had to see if this story would get any type of reception at all! It was just sort of digging at me so I started writing it and well…HERE WE ARE! I'm likely to continue this story for several chapters just because I have a lot of it written down in my writing journal, but if it is not liked at least a little, then I won't continue it passed that. Ok, so, just to be sure, here is the**

**Summary: 20 years ago, right after Yuki and Kyo graduated from college ((I know that Kyo didn't go to college but for the sake of my story, he did.)), Akito decided to leave the control of the Sohma family to Kyo, Yuki, and Hatsuharu. They have run the family very nicely, and raised their one child each to take control when they were ready. But, now, a man with black hair claims to be Akito's son, and is accusing the three of forcing his mother to give up her power and says that he wants it back. What is going to happen?**

**Just to clear this up BEFORE all the questions, here are the pairings: **

**TohruxKyo**

**MachixYuki**

**HatsuharuxRin**

**HiroxKisa**

**AkitoxShigure**

**AyamexMine**

**Uo-chanxKureno**

**Hana-chanxShishu**

**Those are the Cannon pairings. Ok? There might be others depending on where the story goes. There are several OCxOC pairings, but those become obvious later on. **

**Disclaimer: I do not live in Japan and am not a great drawer and am not rich. I obviously do not own anything.**

Long flowing orange hair messily surrounded the sleeping girl's face. In sleep, she scrunched up her nose and turned onto her stomach. She buried her face deeper into her pillow and smiled. "KYOKO SOHMA, you better get your martial arts butt up NOW or you're not going to the dojo for a WEEK!"

The girl jerked awake and groaned; mornings were not her strong time. "I'm UP!" She sat up on her knees and stretched up slowly. The girl, Kyoko (Or Yoko as she was often called) opened her brown eyes and pushed her long hair out of her face. "You have TEN minutes of I will call Sakura and tell her to LEAVE YOU BEHIND." Her father shouted up the stairs.

"And don't forget to make you're bed, sweetie." Yoko's loving mother added. Downstairs, Tohru looked at her husband with a little reprimand. "Kyo, don't yell so much." She said, with a small smile. Kyo looked at the love of his life and pulled her close. He kissed Tohru lightly.

"Yes sweetheart." Kyo said. Loud footsteps above signaled their daughter's approach. She ran down the stairs and stopped right in front of the couple. "Ech, get a room, please." She said, with a smirk.

Kyo and Tohru looked at their child. Yoko was sometimes described as an almost perfect mixture of the two, at least in looks. The bright orange hair was obviously Kyo's but the face and beautiful brown eyes were all Tohru. However…Yoko's personality was ALL Kyo, besides little bits of Tohru DEEP down. Yoko had the quick temper and easy protectiveness Kyo had always had and expounded on it by defending anyone with the martial arts she had learned since she was four.

"Yoko, is you're bed made?" Kyo asked his daughter. "Yes, Daddy." Yoko shook her head in exasperation. "Can I go now? Sakura is waiting She really needs me." Yoko begged. One of the things Yoko liked best about herself was that she looked just like her mother, but with different colored hair. And Yoko knew that her father could hardly EVER say no to her mom.

Kyo rolled his eyes and moved aside. Tohru kissed Yoko on the forehead and smiled at Yoko's leaving back.

Sakura Sohma sat on the corner wall near the exit of the Sohma estate. Her brown hair covered her face as she looked down. She was a very quiet and reserved child. As the daughter of Yuki and Machi Sohma, she had a very quiet gene pool. She while she was a great image of her mother, had the ethereal beauty of Yuki. Though no one called her "Princess", she was well on her way to an established fan club.

Sakura was very smart, but she was so withdrawn, as a small child she would hardly ever talk. She had that strange way of seeing things that her mom, Mach, had. And she'd been picked on a lot when she was smaller. Until her best friend Yoko had saved. Think of the devil and the devil shall appear, Sakura thought. Thudding footsteps and heavy breathing had alerted her to Yoko's arrival. "You're late." Sakura said quietly.

"I know, I know. I didn't hear my alarm!" Yoko said fidgeting to fix her school uniform. She was a little girly, but often never tried…She loved to sleep. "I'm not really complaining. We are always early anyway." Sakura said. They lapsed into a comfortable silence until a black haired bullet streaked by them.

"YUKINO!" The girl screamed at once. The boy just a year older than them turned and smirked, but kept going. "I cannot believe he is named after your dad, Sakura." Yoko said, shaking her head. "Uncle Haru has such a sick sense of humor."

"You're telling me!" Sakura bowed her head. She'd never told Yoko, but she'd been in love with Yukino since they'd been five and him six. He was everything she wasn't and she loved him for that. Yoko quietly kept walking. She had a feeling that their quiet peace would soon end.

While the kids were at school Yuki, Kyo, and Haru met in the main house. Many things had changed since high school and the curse had left them all. Akito and Shigure had moved away after Yuki and Kyo graduated college. Akito had, for some reason, left control of the Sohma family to the three of them. No one knew why but they had run the Sohma family for 20 years and ran it well.

All the three of them had raised their one child each to love and to be responsible for each and every one of the Sohma family members. They'd decided to pass the control to them when they were ready.

The three joked and laughed for awhile then discussed many things. All of them ignored the feeling they had that something was coming. Something big.

Yoko, Sakura, and Yukino walked home acting as teenagers do when they were alone walking home from school. Basically, they were complaining about homework, teachers, and school in general. Well, ok, so Yukino and Yoko were the ones doing the complaining. Sakura loved school. The entered the Sohma estate and went to their separate houses near the entrance.

Yoko walked up to her room and collapsed onto her bed. She opened her window and leaned back into her pillow. She closed her eyes and dreamed….

_It was white. All white._

"_Kyoko…Kyoko…" She heard her name. It echoed through her head. She turned and saw a man with black hair and a very angular face. He slowly came closer. "Kyoko. I need you to help me. Free me from the bonds I have!" _

_She reached out for him, tried to pull him closer, but he stayed just out of reach. _

"_How? How do I help you?" She asked. _

"_Love." He said. He started to fade away into the white. _

"_How does love do anything? HOW?" She screamed, but he stayed silent as he continued to fade. "NO! Don't leave me!" She tried to run after him, but…_

Yoko's eyes opened. She sighed. She'd dreamed that same dream for as long as she could remember at least once a week. The only changes were the age of the person. When she was younger, he looked like a child with a beautiful baby face. He smiled and laughed. But, as she grew, so did he. When she was about 10, he stopped smiling, and asked for help more seriously, as if he really needed it more than ever. Now, he was solemn, as if he was in pain and needed her help very badly.

She sat up and looked around. Then, she heard a yell, followed by many voices shouting. "I am here now! WHERE ARE THEY?" An angry voice came through her open window. "I MUST see Yuki, Kyo, and Hatsuharu Sohma. RIGHT NOW!"

"Sir, you can't just-"

"Do not tell me what I can't do. I am the son of Akito and Shigure Sohma! I am Akira Sohma, true leader of this family and here to take my rightful place."

Yoko quickly slammed up and out of her room. She was down the stairs and out the door in a flash. Outside, she saw this man, Akira-san, had drawn quite a crowed. Yoko went closer and then walked to stand by her dad, Yuki, Haru, Sakura and Yukino. Yuki stepped forward to meet the man.

"Sir, you are causing a great disturbance. Wither or not you are the son of Akito, she relinquished her power to me, Kyo and Haru. You have no grounds for you're claims."

"That is not true. Right before she died she told me you forced her to give you her power. YOU have no grounds." He said.

Yoko stepped forward. "me and my two cousins have trained for the position of leading this family since our birth. We are to be the next leaders." Akira stepped even closer so he and Yoko were toe to toe. He toward over her by about a foot but he didn't back away. "Fight for it?" He asked with a smirk that clearly showed he thought she'd back off.

"Fine." She said. "I hope you don't' mind getting beat by a girl." Yoko smiled sarcastically. She was one of the best, and she knew it. Not many could beat her. For a moment, Akira was shocked and said nothing. Then, he shook his unruly black mane and said, "You would fight a man clearly bigger and older?"

"I've gone against bigger and older." Yoko replied. For a few minutes, the two glared into each other's eyes-brown against gray.

"Children." Haru stepped closer and shoved the two apart. Akira glared once more and said, "I'll be back tomorrow. We WILL settle this." And he stalked out.

**So? What ya'll think? Let me know! R AND R PLEASE!**


	2. Wet Shorts

**Ok. So, it's been a while since I've updated but I would LOVE to point out that it wasn't my fault! I was going to a week ago but the stupid library computer completely deleted THREE PAGES OF MY WORK! Gah. Anyway, I just hope that I can get this up today and get more readers. **

**Oh, big thanks to CookieCrusader. She is my new, and so far, unofficial Beta reader. I'm not sure exactly HOW we make it official but I'm working on that. So….ON WITH THE SHOW!**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing…I just like to pretend. *Pouts***

Yoko sat on a rock in the middle of a pond in lotus position with her hands turned towards the sky and resting lightly on her knees. Slowly, she breathed in and out. Yoko was much like her father in to many ways to count. The most obvious being the hair trigger temper that was never too far buried. But deep down, Yoko had just enough of her sweet and patient mother to allow her to be quite masterful at meditation….when she wasn't completely pissed off of course.

It helped her to think when she was confused and figure out answers to important questions. Once, it had helped her decide which boy to take to this one dance, and another time it helped her discover she was actually pretty girly when she wanted to be…she was just lazy. But, now, it helped her concentrate on the strange appearance of Akira Sohma, the long lost son, it seemed, of Akito and Shigure.

Yoko thought on it for awhile and noticed that during the course of the conversation with the man, Akira had mentioned that Akito had died. She knew that during her younger life, Akito had been at least partially mad. Was it possible that, in the end, she'd returned to that "black" state?

And, for that matter, what happened to Shigure, the perverted yet extremely complicated man who'd loved Akito since their childhood, despite that Akito had been raised as a male and he (Shigure) had lived as if Akito meant almost nothing to him for years? Surely Shigure would not have allowed his son to believe that her father, Uncle Yuki, and Uncle Haru had done the terrible thing they'd been accused of. If half the stories that Yoko had heard were true, unless Shigure had something to gain by doing something he would more than likely not do it. Could Shigure stand to gain something out of this?

And, where did she get the feeling like she had met Akira before? It was very unlikely…Unlikely, but not, she supposed all that impossible. So many different questions, no answers. Yoko sighed.

Having not concentrated on the things around her, Yoko didn't hear or feel the person coming up behind her…until he pushed her into the pond. "GAH!" When she resurfaced, sputtering and coughing, all Yoko heard was chuckling. After standing and clearing her eyes of the water, she recognized the source of her current problems: Akira Sohma.

"WHAT. THE. HELL? What'd you do that for?" She screamed. Her already oversized light blue sweater hung limply on her thing athletic frame and her soft cloth shorts slapped wetly against her thighs. "That's a nice look for you." He stepped into the relatively shallow water and reached over to push her hair out of her face.

Yoko grabbed his wrist and slammed her free hand into his shoulder to force him down onto his knees. He grunted, but did not fall. With a couple of moves so fast that Yoko couldn't see them, Yoko's back was slammed close against his chest and she was trapped in his embrace. "Let. Me. Go." She said through her teeth.

"Hmmmm….No, I don't think I will." Akira breathed into her ear. They stayed like that for several moments; the only sounds were the sounds of their heavy breathing and the ripples of the pond water they stood in. "If you don't let me go," She whispered, part of her not wanting to ruin the moment. "You might lose something very important to you." Yoko emphasized her threat by raising a foot to kick him in the thigh. Akira chuckled.

"You're a feisty one, aren't you?" He said, and then let her go. Yoko instantly put space between them and stepped out of the pond. "You shouldn't even be here, Akira Sohma, much less trying to make grabs at me" Yoko glared at him. "I am only 17 I hope you know."

Akira openly looked up and down Yoko's dripping body. "Trust me, darling, it doesn't look like it. But, yes, I know. And, I just happened to be taking a nice friendly stroll through the Sohma estate. You father and uncles took very good care of this place, even if they didn't steal it."

Yoko started wringing out her clothes, as she knew if she went inside her home dripping water everywhere, her mom would kill her. Or her dad would FOR her mom. "Of course they did. They love all the members of this family and take great care of them. And never doubt that!"

The two stood glaring at each other for a few more seconds before Akira said, "Well, I've got a…pleasant meeting with you're family to get to and you've got you're clothes to dry. I'll be seeing you later, Miss Yoko." Yoko said nothing, only glared at Akira's leaving back.

* * *

Akira Sohma entered the meeting with pure confidence about himself. He was sure he was right. Positive.

Though Akira'd had loving parents during the beginning of his childhood, the last several years had been challenging. When he'd been 12, his father Shigure had been in a car accident. It hadn't killed him, but Shigure had been in a comatose state ever since. Akira's mother Akito had sat in the hospital with Shigure for days without coming home, often times forgetting Akira completely.

At first, this didn't bother Akira because he loved his father too. But after a year of hardly ever seeing his mom, he started to resent him. Akira had been a mamma's boy, and Shigure had taken her from him. Akira started calling his dad Shigure and completely hated him by the time his 14th birthday came around.

Akira turned 16, and soon afterwards Akito had gotten sick with stress and worry over her husband. He had sat with her in her own hospital bed. Unfortunately, Akito's body wasn't as strong as Shigure's and gave out about three weeks later, just after Akira's 17th birthday. As she laid on her deathbed, she confided in him her final dying wish. "Akira, my son..." Akito breathed, "It is you who is the true leader of the Sohma family. I was forced to give up my power to Yuki, Kyo, a-a-and Hat-Hatsuharu Sohma. G-go reclaim your birthright." Then, breathing her final breath, she departed, leaving Akira confused… and alone.

Akira decided to blame the Sohma family for his mother's early death. If they had not forced her to relinquish her control over the family, then she wouldn't have gone mad over Shigure's condition. So, Akira devoted the next several years to studying the Sohmas; the leaders and their families in particular. He knew of Yukino's trouble in behaving and of Sakura's off the chart I.Q. The most fascinating and interesting project to Akira was Kyoko "Yoko" Sohma.

She was gorgeous, that he could tell. Looked just like her mother with her father's bright orange hair. Somehow he knew that the photos on the internet did not do that hair justice. With each new photo, his desire to run his fingers through it grew and grew. He wanted to konw if her brown eyes were any deeper than they already were in the pictures. Akira wanted to, for some reason stare into those eyes for hours on end. However he knew that his feelings for Yoko, whatever they were needed to be kept away from his thoughts.

Still, the many stories on her fascinated him. One was about her martial arts championship, while another told about the fights she got into with her claiming she'd been protecting her cousin and best friend, Sakura. Then still another showed her in her school's fashion show in a floor length white ball gown. There seemed to be so many different sides of her, and Akira longed to explore each one of them….But he knew he could not.

Akira shook his head slightly to clear it. Right now, he could not be distracted by a girl in tight wet shorts with long legs. "Akira, I'm glad you were able to be here." Yuki said. He'd always been the people pleaser. Akira shook hands with him, Kyo and Haru and sat down across from them on his knees at the table.

"Look, I don't know exactly what Akito might've told you but-" Kyo started.

"She told me you three forced her to give up control of the family." Akira glared at the people across from him. "My mother never lied to me. She told me the truth, Always! Even in her dieing breath."

"Ok. Ok. Calm down." Yuki said. "Just be calm. We'll get to the bottom of this." Kyo burst out, "Where they hell is Shigure?" wanting to know why his perverted cousin would allow his son to believe this. Even Shigure wasn't that twisted.

Akira's face darkened. "Shigure Sohma is in, well, a coma. He has been for many years." The three men were shocked. "Wh-why weren't we told?" Yuki asked. "To the very end, my mother believed it was only a temporary state and refused to notify anyone. The name of the hospital is the Tsurumara ((Just pulled a random japanise last name. Not a real hospital)) Hospital in Kyoto's outskirts. You can check records to know that Shigure has been there for years and that my mother died there."

"Hm, well, I don't know how much of your story is true and how much of what your mother told you that she actually believed…But we've been running this family for over 20 years." Yuki said. "Yeah, and we've raised our kids to run it after us." Haru finally spoke up.

"Haru, play nice." Yuki said, then he turned back to Akira. "Why don't you stay here for awhile. Um, watch what we do. Make sure this is what you want, them I'm sure we can figure something out."

"Fine." Akira said. "I get to stay on the estate?" Yuki nodded. "Yes, you can stay with one of us, though," Yuki said with a smirk. "You might not want to stay with Haru. They-eh let's just say that their house is…well, I'm not going to finish that sentence."

It wasn't so much as what he said but HOW Yuki said it plus the blank expression on Haru's face ((Insert that I'm-bored-and-oblivious sort of look that Haru sometimes gets. Lol)) that made Akira believe Yuki. "And," Haru piped up. "You probably don't want to stay at Yuki's house. Every one is so quiet. I usually send my son to his house just to liven it up."

"Oh, no." Kyo said, eyes wide. "Not my house. Yoko and him would be at each other's throats in two minutes!" Yuki rolled his eyes. "Remind you of anyone?" Kyo sighed. "Fine. Akira, you can stay at my house. We have a nice guest room and Tohru would welcome you tremendously." He looked wary. "Please don't fight with my daughter all that much. Tohru hates fighting pluse I would hate for one or both of you to end up dead."

Akira nodded and smirked. Well, well. Look at this. He just killed two birds with one stone. He could take over the Sohma family And get to know Yoko at one time. Perfect.

**Ok. So that's FINALLY done. I hope you like it. Anyway, read and review. Let me know! Oh, and the next chapter will be beta'ed by CookieCrusaider so it should be better with spelling, grammar and stuff. Gotta GO! Bye!**


	3. The Sleep Over

**Hey guys I'm back! Sorry for the wait by the way. I didn't have any time to get up on my stories. But it's all good now. I have a brand new laptop and I'm going to use it! Also, I would like to say I'm sorry about the wait for those few who actually looked forward to reading this. I have like seven chapters written down in my writing journal but I just couldn't type them up. So, here we go!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket.**

**Warning: There are some mature themes here and some bad language. But hey, it's based off a Japanese manga. What do you expect other than perverts and wrong thinking? **

Yoko had just gotten out of the shower and just walked into her room. She had a towel wrapped around her body and her dripping hair loose down her back. Humming a tune she made up on the spot, Yoko walked towards her window to quickly close it and shut the blinds. She didn't trust someone not to be looking, even if she was on the second story.

She stood there for a moment. She felt like something was missing. But, what? She shook her damp head to flush out such weird thoughts. "Well, well. It looks like every time I see you, you're soaking wet." Eyes wide, Yoko turned, clutching the towel close. The current bane of her existence stood leaning against the door way. Akira. "Though I have to say, I think I prefer this look out of the two."

"What. The. FUCK! What are you doing here? In my house? IN MY ROOM?" She tried to cover herself but she couldn't do much with a towel and her skinny arms. "Enjoying the show." Akira said with a smirk. Yoko glowered. "Get. Out." He winked at her, and backed out of the room. "Hey, what size dre-" She slammed the door in his face. Yoko leaned her forehead against the door, breathing heavily.

Jerk.

* * *

Akira looked at the recently closed door as he was sure she started getting dressed. He tried his best not to imagine her long legs as she pulled on shorts that were definitely too short to be worn in public. He worked hard not to think about her putting on a soft to small t-shirt that barely covered her smooth belly. And he really attempted not to wonder if she wore anything under the outfit.

Akira jerked himself out of his daze and walked to the door just down the hall and on the same side as Yoko's room. His was the guest room Tohru had showed him to almost an hour ago. He had heard a door open soon after but he knew that Kyo wasn't in the house and Tohru was in the kitchen because he could hear her doing the laundry. So, by process of elimination, he concluded that it was Yoko. And he decided that she should know of his presence. So, smirking evilly the whole way, he went to a door just down the hall that as partially open. He peaked inside to see a vision in white terry cloth.

She as facing the window opposite the door so the most could see was dripping orange hair and long pale legs. True, maybe he sort of handled that wrong, but she just brought that out in him. His teasing, tormenting, and confusing (at least to him) side. Yoko brought out weird thoughts and feelings in him but of course Akira would never admit it. To anyone.

He sat down on the bed in his room. A few moments later, he heard a voice. A familiar voice. Then, he realized that the wall the bed he was sitting on was right next to the headboard of Yoko's bead, just on the other side of the wall. And that wall wasn't all that thick.

"No." He heard her say. "Yeah sure…Yukino did you what? You gotta be kidding me…sure. Oh hey, the reason I called is I wondered if you wanna ditch your house for the night and come be my sanity…Yeah, Mom said it was ok and Dad, well you know him…Yeah. I'm serious. She could ask him to tear down the dojo and burn the leftovers and he'd do it…See ya then."

Akira heard her slam her cell phone shut and run down the stairs. He wondered who was coming over Probably Sakura, Yoko's best friend. Girly sleepover…could be fun.

* * *

Later that night, Sakura sat on the floor looking up at Yoko, who sat on the bed with her back against the wall. "So then, Yukino says 'The door just closed on its own, I swear.' And then my dad just glares in that really intense, really creepy way he has and Yukino goes a little red and says **'Ok, so I MIGHT have locked Aunt Machi in the closet, but who knew she'd bust the door down with a step ladder?" The two girls burst into loud laughter.*****

"Holy Uncle Haru ((get it? Haru...cow...yeah, I thought it was funny)). Your mom is nuts." Yoko managed to gasp out. A moment later, Yoko looked closely at her best friend. "You, I heard that Yukino had a new girlfriend and-" Sakura's head jerked up with wide eyes. "When did this happen? Who-Who? Why? I-I-I…"

Yoko smirked. "I knew it. You TOTALLY like Yukino" Sakura blushed and looked down. "Oh. Yeah. I do. A lot." Yoko snickered a little. "I have thought you two were perfect for each other for years! Sakura's face went a deeper red.

"Yeah, well he obviously doesn't think so." Yoko shook her head hard. "oh, I was just making that whole girlfriend thing up. I just wanted to see your reaction. Sakura knew that Yoko would never really lie to her, not anything like this, so she smiled. "So what about you?" Yoko looked confused. "I saw the look in Akira's and your eyes when you were glaring at each other over oniguri. He's cute right?"

Akira sat up straighter against the wall. He'd been listening to the whole conversation. This was what he wanted to hear. Yoko Sohma's opinion of him. "Akira?" She paused. "I guess he's cute. He's got that rugged looked that some girls. It's not really my thing." Akira was disappointed for some reason. "Uh-huh." Sakura sound skeptical. "Besides," Yoko went on. "Me and Ichi are going pretty steady. I mean, he hasn't asked me to be his gf yet, but I'm sure he will soon." That hit Akira in the gut.

He felt the urge to kick this "Ichi's" ass.

"Plus, Akira is a jerk. He walked in my room today when I had nothing but a towel on and just stood there like he could! And he's trying to destroy the peace our dad's and Uncle Haru have work so hard to get! I hate that jack-" Sakura interrupted.

"Hello, loud! Your dad down the hall…light sleeper!" Yoko made a sound that obviously meant 'Oops'. Akira felt terrible. That's what she thought of him. Wow, this was what it felt like to be hated. How could she feel that way about him? He thought she was wonderful…

"You know what they say, Yoko. There's a fine line between love and hate." Yoko tittered. "Please. Not this time." Yoko said. "Anyway, it's late. Let's go to sleep."

Akira heard some shuffling around, a click of the lights, a few last giggles and then…nothing. He actually felt bad. Now that he thought about it, he had been extremely rude to Yoko since he'd met her. He couldn't really blame her for thinking the worst of him. But…he didn't want her to feel that way about him. Akira laid back and started to fall into a deep sleep. The last thought was of Yoko's beautiful smile and how he wished he could be the one to put it there.

*****Okies, about the thing highlighted in bold. The first person to guess what part of Fruits Basket I am referencing ((Meaning a short summary of what happened before and after)) will have a future chapter dedicated to them. Whoot.**

**AN/ So, it's been a while and everything so…yeah. Read and review. Hope ya'll like it. I would also appreciate it if ya'll kept the grammar suggestions to a minimal. I know I have terrible grammar and even with spell check my spelling sucks. I know this. I've had many teachers tell me this. Thanks everyone. Kasi**


	4. Kicks and Kisses

**Hello all my loyal fans (If I have any) and hello to all the newbies. I am again updating my Story. Yes, the name has been changed but I'm changing it back...Yeah, sorry about that. I finally decided that Bittersweet Lies didn't fit as well as Power Struggle. Anywhoo. I'm going to try to update regularly and hopefully get some of those loyal readers I was talking about. Hehe. I think ya'll will like this next chapter. ON WITH THE SHOW!**

**Warnings about kissing and attempted forcing...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, just this plot and the next generation. oh, and I own Ichigo (Not that I'm 100% happy about that...).**

A week later, Tohru and Kyo sat together in their dining room, drinking tea. Suddenly, the heard a slam, followed by shouts. "Ah." Tohru said sweetly. "Sounds like home." Kyo just chuckled at his wife, who accepted most people and the things they did. The last week had been full of fighting, yelling, throwing and screaming. "I'm actually very proud of Yoko." Kyo said, standing up with Tohru to put their dishes in the sink. "One week and she hasn't challenged him to a death match. And the biggest thing she's thrown at him was her straightner!" They shared a special look, both thinking back to their high school years when Kyo and Yuki had literally always been at each other's throats.

Upstairs, Yoko slamed her door shut and locked it. Breathing hard, she punched the door once, then turned back towards the inside of her room. She needed to get busy. She only had two more hours.

* * *

**Two hours later...**

Akira sat at the table, finishing the delicious supper Tohru had cooked. He took his dishes to the sink where she was washing the others. "Tohru, that was very good. Thank you for including me in your meals." He bowed his head slightly in respect. Being Tohru, she bowed -too and blushed. "N-No. i'm so glad you enjoyed it!" Akira started walking towards the stairs, thinking he could maybe goad Yoko into getting mad at him again. The best thing about fighting with her was seeing the passion in her beautiful eyes. It amazed him and he loved looking into her eyes when she was mad.

Just as he was about to go up the stairs, there was a knock on the door. "Akira-san, would you mind getting the door for me? I'm covered in bubbles and dish water or I would ask!" Akira didn't say anything, just altered his course. He opened the door to see a boy just a few years younger than him and about Yoko's age. He wore a black tee under a nice black and blue jacket and nice blue jeans. His muddy brown hair was emmaculatly combed to look "cool", and his eyes were a sort of plain blue that wasn't really worth mentioning.

"Um..." the boy said. "I'm Ichigo. I'm here to pick up Kyoko for the-" Akira slamed the door in his face. Punk kid. Yeah, right. He rolled his eyes and turned. Up at the top of the stairs she stood, an angel. Yoko wore a knee length red v-neck halter dress. The top was tight enough to show her gorgeous curves and barely showed a hight of clevage. At the waist, the dress was loose and flowy until it stopped just at the knee. She wore her hair up with a few curls left to frame her face and red strapy heals that were about 2 1/2 inches high. Yoko had little makeup on, but she didn't need it.

"Was that Ichi?" she asked, frowning. Akira could barely think, but all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and never let her go. Yoko came down the stairs, with Akira still stareing. Yoko rolled her eyes and opened the door. "Hey, Ichigo!" She hugged the boy. Akira saw from his point of view behind Yoko that Ichigo's hands stared wandering down, but Yoko pulled back out of the embrace. "Mom! I'll be back at about midnight, when the dance is over!" The door was shut before Akira got over the shock.

* * *

"I had really nice time tonight." Yoko lied with a smile. Truthfully, all night she'd been comparing Ichigo to Akira. Ichigo's mannor of dressing was all wrong; way to neat and clean. His hair was obviously combed to look like he just ran his hands through it. Gah. How could she have ever liked this poser? As he walked her to the estate, he kept trying to hold her hand. Yoko kept pulling it away.

As they got to her door, Yoko turned and forced a smile. "Thanks Ichigo." Yoko started to opened the door when he grabbed her neck and roughly, so hard it hurt, slammed his sickly wet lips onto hers. Yoko just stood there for a moment, not responding, but then Ichigo his tonge between her stiff lips and pull her against his body. She then thought 'Oh, no. No thanks!" And tried to force him away. Unfortunitly, Ichigo didn't exactly get the message. He then brought his hand to her breast. That just pissed her off.

Yoko yanked up her knee and hit him straight in his soft spot. He dropped to his knees and finally let her go. With her eyes slight tearing, she said darkly, "Leave. Never speak to me or my family again."

She walked inside.

Akira had been paceing for hours waiting for Yoko to return. He'd been an idiot, gaping at her and doing nothing to prevent her from leaving with that punk kid. His fists clenched. he suddenly wanted to punch something, namely that bloody Ichigo. He heard a door open, the close. kyo had been home for hourse, so it had to be Yoko!

He haerd her heals clack up the stairs. Then, he heard her open her door and go inside. He heard the bed creak then Akira heard something that knifed him open. Sobbing.

Akira walked quickly down the hall and into her room without knocking. Yoko was curled up in a ball at the top of her bed. He walked to the bed and gathered her into his arms and onto his lap. she curled into his chest and just sobbed. He rocked her back and forth, just holding her close. when her cries subsided, he just stayed still and waited. "I can't believe what an idiot I am." she whispered. "He's such a jerk." Akira softly smiled down at her hear stained face.

"No, you're not stupid. He is. Whatever he did do to you, it was wrong." She looked deep into his eyes, all tears gone and then slowly to lean in closer to him. Akira gulped then, slowly enough for her to change her mind, he gently pressed his lips to hers. 'This is perfect.' he thought.

* * *

'This is perfect.' she thought.

* * *

**Whoot. Got to love cliff hangers right? Hehe. Well, the next couple of chapters are fluff that I couldn't help but write. The one after next is actually about Yukino and Sakura! So, yeah! Read and review, peoples!**


	5. Her Orange Cat

**Heylo, everyone! Anyway, sorry for the wait. This chapter is mostly fluff along with a really funny incounter of the Jerk kind. Hehe. You'll see what I mean. And this is actually pretty long. Also**

**Warning: This chapter contains very bad language from Akira and some mature themes.**

**Anyway, so there is this fluffy chapter and then the next that is really all about fluff. Actually, the next one is about Yukino and Sakura, so hope you enjoy! PS: This story is assuming that they all live in Tokyo. I know the manga never said that that's where they lived, but it also didn't say that they DIDN'T live there. **

**Disclaimer: Again, owns nothing but plot and next generation.**

Akira walked down the stairs the next morning, whistling in his happiness. It was the first time in three years his focus wasn't on destroying Kyo, Yuki, and Haru and it felt like the happiest he'd been in close to ten years. All this thoughts were on a certain someone with a fiery temper to match her bright hair.

He walked into the kitchen to find Tohru doing the dishes, again. "Tohru, I must know...do you do anything BUT wash the dishes?" She started and turned around. THe likeness betwen her and the girl he found himself falling hard for slammed him right between the eyes. "Oh, Akira-san! Oh, um..." she paused and then went on nervously fast. "Oh, I, um I love to clean! I'm really, um, good at it too!" Akira chuckled then raised his hands in defeat.

"Where is Kyo and Yoko?" Truthfully, all he cared about was Yoko's whereabouts but he didn't want to seem over-eager with her mother. "Hm?" Tohru said as she resumed her task. "Oh, Kyo went with Hiro-chan and Yuki-kun to look at some of the Sohma properties off the main estate. He said that today you could do whatever you want basically so long as you didn't get into trouble." Akira smirked. If only Kyo knew. "Yoko was up just after dawn saying something about going to the dojo." That caught Akira's interest.

"Dojo? What dojo?" Tohru drained the sink and dried her hands. "Oh, Kyo's adoptive father owns the Sohma Kazuma dojo. Shishou-san doesn't always run it much anymore as he is getting on in years, but he's usually there 'supervising.'" she giggled. "Kyo was trained there as a young kid and he had Yoko there almost as soon as she could walk. She-" Tohru turned around to find Akira gon and heard the sound of the front door closing. Tohru smiled and walked to the laundry room, humming to herself.

* * *

Yoko knocked down yet another opponeit. And still, she was not done. She'd not slept much the night before and when she had she'd dreamed of him and that kiss. Yoko had just decided to get up and go to the dojo at about 7 a.m. because she had been filled with reckless energy.

She took a quick drink of water before going outside to a seculded, empty spot that was surrounded by hedges except for that one entrence. In the center of the boxed in place there was a practice dummy. She needed to work out her frustrations on something and there was no one left that she hadn't already beaten today that could face her ina fight without serious bodily injury, especially when she was so worked up.

She took a stance before attacking the dummy with all her strength. Punch after punch, kick after kick for more than 15 straight minutes before she entered a state above her pain and her moves, while not lessing in strength, became almost automatic.

That kiss. That perfect, mind-numbing kiss. Yoko increased her speed. Why had he kissed her? And why had it effected her so much? It wasn't like she hadn't been kissed before. Those had been nice, pleasant. But nothing like that.

Last night, after Ichigo had acted so terribly, she'd cried. Not because she'd honestly liked him but because she'd trusted him and he'd betrayed that trust. And it'd hurt. That, coupled with the fact that she'd felt useless and violated, had caused her tears. And, with a hug and a sweet kiss, Akira had taken all that away.

Yoko stopped and stared at the now worse-for-the-wear dummy, as if he held all the answers. Frustrated, she closed her eyes and drew back her fist to take one last shot and...she hit flesh. A hand.

"Huh?" She opened her eyes to see none other than Akira standing there, smiking. He closed his hand over her fist and pulled her into his arms. "Well look who it is." he said quietly. Yoko just looked at him, eyes wide. Akira smiled and dropped a short kiss on her lips. "Go get changed into street clothes Yoki **((By the way, Yoki is a nick name Akira just randomly made up for her. He'll end up using it a lot, but no one else will.))**" She blinked. "Why?" she asked. He chuckled. "Well you can't exactly wander around Tokyo in a sweaty martial arts outfit, now can you?"

She looked at him, confused. "N-no I guess not. But I'm going straight home..." Akira shook his head. "No. WE are going sight seeing. Now, go change." He gently pushed her towards the only exit.

* * *

Ten minutes later, she walked walking down Akihabara **((Akihabara, for those who don't know, is a cool shopping center in Tokyo that has lots of shops with manga and computer stuffs there...it's supposedly pretty awesome))** with a man she'd just 24 hours before told Skaura she hated. He acted as if this was completely natural! Together, they walked in and out of stores, not buying anything but every now and then picking up goofy hats or sunglasses and playing with funny toys or stuffed animals. All they did was smile and laugh with each other. The got into little arguements such as which way to go or what store to go into but they were playful and done with smiles.

After walking out of a thrift store, Akira saw a sign for a carnival a few block away. with absolutely no arguement, they headed that way. Walking leisurly down the street surrounded by children, frantic parents, and colorful booths, Akira put his arm around Yoko's waist and pulled her close. He looked down at her and she was smiling up at him. He gently kissed her forehead and dragged her to the closest booth, which happened to be a dart throwing game.

"500 yen **((That's about $5, right?))** for three darts." The booth opperator said. "You hit three balloons, you pick from the top shelf; two balloons, middle; one balloon, bottem. If you miss them all, you get a beeny baby!" Akira gave the man a bill and took quick aim.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Three balloons in a row let out their air. Yoko cheered and clapped for him as the booth opperator collected the thrown darts. Akira looked at the top shelf at the oversized animals and saw the perfect one. "That one." He said, pointing. The man reached up an picked up Akira's choice, then handed it to him. Akira immediately turned and offered it to Yoko. she took it with glowing eyes and an aching heart.

She held a huge stuffed orange cat that looked just like her mother had described her father when he'd been under the Sohma curse. "Akira...It's perfect!"

They turned simultaniously to walk away. After the two had walked a few steps, Akira reached out and took Yoko's free hand in his. The two happily left the carnival hand in hand and started the walk home.

It was a while before their quiet happiness was interupted. A very familier and annoying someone stepped into their paths, legs spread and arms crossed.

"Ichigo!" Yoko said, surprised. She stepped closer to Akira with out realizing it, and he squeesed her hand tightly. "What are you doing here?" she asked. Ichigo glared at the two and said, "I came to pick you up for our date to the carnival, but I see you've already been." He looked pointedly at the large cat in Yoko's arms.

"Um, I realize that you are not stupid because I wouldn't have ever dated you if you were, but if you hadn't gotten the message, me kicking you in your soft spto was me canceling our plans." Ichigo smirked and chuckled evily, then held out a hand to her. "Kyoko, my darling, you have a lot to learn about the way relationships work. You, the woman, give me what i , the man, want. Now, I'm willing to forgive your little...outburst yesterday if you come with me now and never do it again."

Akira looked shocked...and pissed. "Oh, so the fact that you have a dick, however small it must be, dangling between your legs means that you can treat a beautiful woman the way you did and that makes it ok?" Ichigo turned and looked like he'd just noticed Akira. "Pray tell, who are you?" if looks could kill, Yoko thought while watching Akira, Ichigo would be dead. "None of your business.. But I know that you don't treat women that way. Especially one as speical as Yoko." He pulled her closer.

Ichigo glared at Akira before once again holding out his hand."Kyoko, this is your last chance. Let go of this rude mans hand and come with me. Now." Yoko looked at him seriously and said, "No." Ichigo then turned on his heels and left. Soon after he disappered from their sight, Akira and Yoko turned towards eachother and "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" They burst out laughing. "Wow, you sure can pick 'em Yoki!" Akira said between bursts.

By the time they made it back to the estate, it was sunset. They stopped in front of the door and looked at each other. Date or not, it had been perfect. "This was fun." Yoko said to him, smiling and hugging her orange cat close. Akira nodded.

He took her face into his hands and gently kissed her. "The perfect end to a perfect day with you, Yoki." He too her hand again and they walked into the house.

**So, what do you think? Ichigo's a total jerk right? hehe. Lol. Anyway, forgive the spelling mistakes. The program I'm using for typeing doesn't have spell check *tear drops* and trust me, I know I need it! So, READ AND REVIEW PLEASE. I'll update soon, remember it's all about Yukino and Sakura!**


	6. Soon

**Hey all. I'm backkkkk. :P. So, this is a Yukino/Sakura chapter, and it's full of fluffy fluffiness! I actually love this chapter. I think I hold fairly well to Rin, Haru, Yuki, and Machi, but if I don't, eh, that's your oppinion. If some of the descriptions are confusing I apologize for it. I'm half asleep and really need sleep for a big thing tomorrow, but I suddenly needed to write. I thank everyone for the favorites and stuff. Major plot moves next chapter, promise! :D.**

**Disclaimer: Owns nothing!**

Boom! Crash! Slam! Ah, a typical day in Yukino's home. He walked through his parents loving feud, dodging thrown projectiles with the ease of obvious practice. Yukino was able to make it out with no injuries and walked the familer path from his house to Sakura's. This path he could've walked blind folded, he knew it so well.

He spent a lot of time at Sakura's house. Sometimes he said he wanted her to tutor him, or even just wanted to upset the freaky quiet of her house. But those were just excuses and though she never knew it, he did.

Yukino went there so he could just spend time with her. she was basically the center of his world, though no one knew it. no one knew that he hated martial arts, but he learned and trained everyday just so he could protect her. No one knew that his longest dream was to win her heart and marry her. All he knew about what he wanted to do when he grew up was to be the greatest husband in the world for her...

But no one, not even Sakura, knew these things. And he liked it that way. For now.

Sakura was so shy and modest. She had yet to really bloom to her full potential, at least in his mind. He loved her, was obsesssed with her in his own way. As much as he wanted to claim her, be with her, he knew that once he had her he would never be able to let her go. so, Yukino planned to wait, to use the patence even he didn't know he had to wait until he thought her ready.

Yukino had decided many years ago to be with Sakura, learn about her until he knew all there was, to stand asiade as she explored and grew into the confidant woman Yukino knew she could be. And, when she had blossomed as much as she could, Yukino would be there...to sweep her off her feet and keep her with him always and forever. They'd never be apart, and spend their lives together to the very end.

Yukino thought of his plans and walked with a satisfied smile. As he neared the door to Sakura's home, he walked in without knocking, like always, or taking off his shoes. Yukino walked through the house. As always, the house was pretty messy. Uncle Yuki had never been all that neat and Aunt Machi still hated perfection, and their house reflected that.

Yukino waded through the debris and up to Sakura's room. Here, he did knock...no answer. Worried, he opened the door. The room was empty of his one and only, and clean. Clean, but cluttered. While Sakura lived with messy parents, she was fairly clean and organized in her own way, she was just a pack rat.

On her covered desk, Yukino noticed a picture on the top of everything else. He walked over to pick it up. Oh, Yukino remembered this day. He sat down on Sakura's bed, lost in memories...

* * *

It had been over a year ago now. The last time sakura had been picked on. Yoko had been at a martial arts championship. at the end of the school day, Yukino had planned to walk home with Sakura, just the two of them, when he noticed that she was no where to be found. He searched the whole school, more worried and scared by the minute.

Eventually, he came to a stop near the back of the school, out of breath. He was quiet for just enough time to hear sobbing. After following those sobs, he came to an alcove where Sakura sat in the fetal position. "Oh, darling." Yukino said, going down to his knees to akwardly embrace her. "What happened?"

She turned her head into his sholder and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "Did they tease you again?" Yukino asked softly. She said nothing, only sobbed more and nodded. He pulled her onto his lap and let her cry it out. When her sobs faded into hiccups, Yukino looked down at her tear streaked face and smiled softly. she attempted to smile back, but it was weak and tired.

"Come on. Let's go to Akihabara. We can get something to eat and look at all that girly Shojo you love and I pretend to hate. Ok?" Sakura nodded and Yukino helped her get to her feet. Her first few steps were shaky, but Yukino wrapped his arm around her waist. He led her towards the shopping center with her blindly following his movements.

He sat her down at an outside table and had ordered what he knew was her favorite food. It took over an hour of jokes, onesided laughs, and pleads for her to just smile before Sakura lightened up. Within another, sakura was draggin Yukino from store to stroe in oblivion.

Knowing that his job was to pretend reluctance so she could pull him ever where by the hand, Yukino played along. Soon, they'd come to a photo booth that gave out 8x10 photos. Just to keep her smiling, Ykino posed with his arm around her sholder with bunny ears over her head and the other arm around the front of her stomach with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck...

* * *

It was this picture he held now. "She kept it." He whispered happily while slowly standing. They looked...so happy. Like...a couple. And he planned for them to have many such pictures together soon. "Hey!"

He turned and slammed the picture back onto the desk. "Sakura." She looked down at his hand and blushed. "Wha-what are you doing here?" she came forward and put the picture face down/

"I came to, uh..." Seeing the picture had thrown him, when he's seen just how perfect they looked together. "To disrupt the quiet of this house." He smirked to cover up his temporary lack of thought. Her face fell slightly. "Oh well Mom and Dad aren't here."

She turned so he couldn't see the disappiontment on her face. She would always be upset when he didn't say he came to just see her. She'd always loved him, but he seemed pleasently consent with being her friend. Sakura turned to face him again with a fake, but happy smile on her face.

"You must have come in after they left. They've never been good at locking the door." Yukino nodded his head and then said, "Let's go watch a movie."

Less than 30 minutes later, Sakura was sleeping again with her head in his lap. He played with her hair, the content of the random Mogeta movie they'd put in lost on him. Yukino leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Soon, Sakura, times like this will be never ending for us. Soon, we will be together forever and you will be all mine. No one elses. Soon, I promise."

**Anyway, what ya'll think? I like it and i like exploring the inner workings of charries that are twisted in some way. Also, please forgive me for my spelling and grammer mistakes. I'm using Word Pad with no spell check. So, anyway, I'll be back soon with the next chapter. I promise, the plot moves on in the next chapter. I'm not going to give much away except that there is watermelons, shirts, and accusations. Got any ideas? Let me know what you think! Read and Review!**


	7. Shattered Mirror

**I'M BAAACKKKK! Yeah...really sorry about the long wait. I probably loose readers every time I don't update all the time. I know, I know, I'm terrible. Anyway, this is the last chapter that I've written down so far. I need to keep writing it but I had writers block on it for the longest time. But, it's all gone now! Lol. I still need to write it, or type it, down but I know pretty much how the next chapters are going to go. There's only about 3 maybe 4 chapters left, at the most. So...yeah. Anyway, please, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Akira! Give that back!" Yoko playfully pouted as she attempted to reach over the much taller Akira. It was breakfast a week after the amazing day that Akira and Yoko had spent at the carnival. It had been like a dream. A wonderful, beautiful dream.

"No." He said. Yoko lightly punched him and stuck out her tongue. "Awww." Akira said in a baby voice. "Does ickle Yoki want her chopsticks back?" He chuckled when she pouted as she clasped her hands together in a begging pose and nodded. "Ohhhh..." He pretended to think it over as she pouted harder. It was getting harder and harder to say no to her. "Ok."

"YAY!" She exclaimed in a little kid voice as he handed them back. Purposely, he let their fingers brush against each other and he relished the electric shock that went up his arm at the contact. They had an unspoken "hands-off" agreement around her family. It wasn't really that they were dating in secret. He was just afraid that they wouldn't like Akira with his Yoki. Plus, Akira stole a quick glance at Kyo. He was scared. As good as a martial artist as he was, Akira knew full well that the Sohma family was full of incredably strong fighters...meaning the Dad and close Uncle of his Yoki.

A few times he'd gone into her room and watched her sleep. She was so beautiful. And his now. Always his, he'd think while looking at her. A few other times, she'd snuck into his room and they'd held each other as the night passed and they would fall asleep in each others arms.

Tohru smiled at the awkward couple, reminded of the early times between her and Kyo...who seemed totally blind to the budding romance between Yoko and Akira. She shook her head and smiled sweetly. He would find out soon enough, she was sure. Tohru stood and started clearing the dishes with a happy and content smile.

* * *

Later, Akira pulled Yoko into his arm and held her close. This was it, he knew. He held his whole life in the circle of his arms. Without her, everything he ever did after this was pointless. It would have no meaning. He smiled tenderly down at Yoko and kissed her softly. When they separated, Yoko looked at Akira quizically. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, Yoki." He kissed her one last time before leaving her room. Sitting in his room, he thought of the wonderful revelation he'd had. Yoko was it for him. No one had ever made him feel this way, no one else ever would. Akira went to the drawer in the desk in the room and pulled out the file he'd kept over the last several years on Yoko. He flipped through it, shaking his head. Why had he done this again? It took him a moment to remember that he'd sworn revenge on the Sohmas.

He shook his head and laughed. He didn't need this anymore. He knew the real Yoko and he knew that he couldn't hurt her like he'd been planning to. Because Tohru and Kyo were still down stairs in the kitchen and he couldn't dispose of the offending file without suspision, he went to his drawers and hid the thing under a shirt he would more than likely use in the next few days, making sure he'd remember to get rid of it.

Smiling again like the lovesick fool he was, Akira lay down on his bed and fell asleep, dreaming of his future with Yoko as his wife...if she would accept him.

* * *

Two weeks later, Yoko happily walked into Akira's room. He had sent her to go grab him an extra shirt as his was well...it was covered in watermelon. Long story short...watermelon pieces fly far when hit with sticks. Yeah.

And then, her mother had insisted that Akira, in his watermelon covered state, not enter the house as his shirt was the worst offender. So, he had sent her with directions to one in his room. She laughed and shook her head as she walked to the dresser. He was the most amazing person. They fought still all the time but it was a loving type of fighting. Her true flaming anger wasn't into it and neither was his.

She opened the third drawer in the dresser and stuck a hand in. She grabbed a black shirt from the top, but accidentallly grabbed something beneth it. Shocked for a moment, the thing below the shirt fell from her hand, it's contents spreading across the floor. "Oops!" Yoko cried, and dropped to her knees to pick the papers up.

* * *

Laughing, Akira jogged up the stairs. He wore a shirt borrowed from Kyo and a huge smile. Today was just another perfect day in a long line of perfect days. Ever since he'd realized his love for Yoko, he started planning the best time to tell his Yoki how much he wanted to be with her forever. He would tonight, he promised himself.

"Yoko!" He called out, a laugh on his voice. "Hey, Yoko! I got a shirt from your Mom. Apparently, it's your Dad's from-" he cut off as he entered his romo and saw Yoko on the floor, his papers spread out around her, a few in her hands.

"What are these?" she asked, tears in her eyes. " 'Yoko is steely with a caring center. Easily won over by using sympathy. Stubborn but sweet and will easily respond to grand gestures.' "

"Yoko, I can expl-" He started before she picked up another paper and started reading. " 'Sakura is Yoko's best friend. This shows her soft spot for the weak. However, her championships in martial arts and close relationship with Yukino, her trouble-making and fun loving cousin, suggest an appriciation for the strong.' " She slaimed to her feet, grabbing a few cut out and printed newpaper articals.

" 'Local girl wins nation martial arts championships ' 'Spring fling hit thanks to Sohma efforts,' 'Sohma dojo through the generations.' " Tears fell in streaks down her face. "So...this was all a ploy? A trick?" Her voice was full of pain and anguish. "No, Yoko, let me explain-"

"I should've guessed it." She looked down and shook her head sadly. "I knew not to trust you! All this...it was all a trick to get the Sohma Family!"

Akira started feeling all he'd ever wanted slip through his fingers. "No, Yoko, I swear that's not what this is!" He tried to take her hands but she tugged free and backed away. "Don't you see? It's not about the family or control. It hasn't been for a long time! It's you. All you. I love you!"

She covered her ears and screamed, "LIES! ALL LIES!" She looked up her face set in a hard expression. "Get out." She said in a quiet voice. "Get out of my house, my estate and GET OUT OF MY LIFE! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"

As she ran past him and out the door, he wondered if she heard the sound of his heart braking like a shattered mirror...

**DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN!**

**Total cliffhanger! Sooo, what do you think Akira will do? Will he leave forever, fight for Yoko's love, or fight for the family? Let me know in a review. All who guess will have the nexted chapter dedicated to them! Thanks all!**


	8. The Awakening

**Ok soooo yeah I suck. And no I haven't forgotten about this story. I'm going to give the exuse we ALL use and no one believes: I was busy. Truly. In fact, If i get this one up before my week and a half long trip it'll be a miracle considering I'm leaving tomorrow and STILL havent packed. SOOOOO without further adeu...**

**Disclaimer: Owns nothing.**

**Also, I dedicate this chapter to Purplicious Rose and Dream Catcher XII13 for responding to my contests. Love ya'll!**

His face was set in hard, unforgiving lines. it had been over a week since Yoko had cruelly ripped his still beating heart from his chest and stompped on it, destorying it completely. Akira had since decided that she was a vixen temptress who had made him feel those thing to distract him from his goal. The Sohma family. well, no more. He had a job to do. And he was going to get it done.

He walked inot the meeting room, forcing all thoughts of the girl he still loved and pinned for out of his head. he sat in front of the trio already in the room, his mouth hard. "I assume you've thought over my recent demand."

The three looked at each other worriedly. Yuki was the first to speak. "Akira, are you sure you wish to do this? We know Yok-"

"Don't you dare bring her into this. She has nothing to do with this or me." He interrupted, his voice rough and dangerous. She didn't deserve his love, he thought. She wouldn't even trust him or care enough about him to listen when he'd tried to explain that he'd changed. That he didn't need, or want, the Sohma family anymore if it meant she would be with him forever instead. He'd already made the decision to give up his claim and to, that same day he did, approach Kyo about permission to date and eventually marry his daughter.

Yoko meant more to him than any amount of power. She WAS his power...But she wouldn't even allow him to explain that. That was the greatest betrayal.

Yuki looked at Kyo and nodded slightly. Kyo said, "Akira, I know something happened between you and my daughter that caused to you to leave so suddenly. I'm not that stupid." Akira attempted to block out the images of Yoko's tears as she'd fled the room he'd come to think of as his own as Kyo continued. "Now, i'm not going to waste my time yelling at you or her. If I did, I'd be the biggest hypocrit in the whole damn world."

Kyo sighed as he continued. "I just want to be sure you want to do this. You know that she will hate you forever if you-"

"STOP!" He burst out, his eyes wild. He calmed down and looked at the floor sadly. "Just stop." His voice betrayed his heard and cracked. He couldn't stand the thought that she would hate him forever. His entire being shied away at the thought. He closed his eyes. What was he going to do? He couldn't have her, yet he couldn't stop wanting her. Akira wanted her back more than anything he'd ever wanted. But she hated him. His stomach clenched.

Haru stood and streached. "well, I'm getting out of here. Rin is being emotional today and I would hate to miss a chance at getting his by a thrown projectile." Haru smirked and walked out. Yuki follwed, silently leaving Akira with Kyo.

Kyo smiled sadly. "Once upon a time, there was a stubborn boy who was scared to love. scared to give up everything he'd held onto greedily for the chance to explore the unknown. Then, a beautiful girl showed him that it was ok to be scared, so long as he trusted his love for her. Slowly, he gave his whole self to her and they found happiness despite the odds and everything trying to stop them."

He paused and Akira leaned forward slightly to hear better. "They had a beautiful daughter and watched her fall in love and be hurt by a fine young man, who was also scared to give up a grudge that had fueled his life for years."

His voice thick, Akira asked, "And what happened to the man and the daughter?"

Kyo smiled. "Well, that's the thing. No one knows. The wrote their own ending." Akira looked down thinking. "She loves you Akira." Kyo continued. "It's your choice."

Just as Kyo stood, Yuki rushed back into the room. "Kyo! Akira!" The looked up at Yuki, confused. "What?" They asked at the same time.

"Shigure is awake. He came out of his coma!"

Akira's heart and mouth dropped.

**So what do ya'll think? Like my cliffie? MUAHAHAHAHA. If I get more reviews I MIGHT decide to update faster! R&R. Luv ya'll! **

**P.S sorry for the shortness. I was going for quality rather than quantity.**


	9. Hard Truth

**YAY! I'm posting again! XD Anyway, I DID promise that this story was going to be finished. I hope ya'll are enjoying it. Again, I implore you all for reviews, ect. This story is winding down. Only a few chapters left!**

**PS sorry if Shigure is a little OOC**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Yoko resolutely turned her face out the window. She was forced to be in the same car as _him_ but that didn't mean she had to look at _him_ or speak to _him_. He had lied to her and used her to get to the family. That huge file...he knew exactly how to get close to her and get her to fall in love with him. Well, he was wrong. She didn't love him. Sure, she _thought_ for a while there that she loved him but that was just delusional. Besides, he wasn't her type. He didn't respect her or anything like that. Plus, he was just too stubborn. She needed someone who was more flexable, because she would have enough stubborness for the both of them.

The semi-familiar drive to Kyoto passed in complete silence. Kyo was driving, Yuki sitting up front with him. Yoko sat behind her father and Akira was behind Yuki. Haru had decided to stay at home because of Rin and said that he would look after the family while they were gone. She refused to look at the man who was less than a foot away from her. Her family must be a bunch of sadists, she thought bitterly. Why else would they put her in the same car, in the same TOWN as the man who smashed her heart in the unreconizable pieces?

She leaned closer to the door, trying to put even more space between her and Akira. Inside, she winced. Even thinking the name was painful. What made this so much worse was not only the fact that she had once believed he felt the same as she did, but she had, for several days prior to the whole file incident, linked her name with his.

Yoko had spent a lot of time, usually when Akira wasn't around, thinking and writing the words "Mrs. Akira Sohma." or "Mrs. Yoko Sohma, wife to Akira." Yeah it was pathetic, but she still had wished and thought. But, that was all in the past. Yoko forced the thoughts out of her brain. She had been cruelly tricked by him and now, she was going to forget him.

* * *

Akira tried his best not to turn and look at the girl who was so close, and yet so far, to him. Her beautiful face was set in a hard frown and she seemed bent on not even acknowledging the fact that he was in the car with her. All he wanted to do was reach over and drag her against his chest. His mind ordered his hands to stay put, while his heart rebelled at the thought that he couldn't have her.

An inner war insued. His heart demanded that he bury his hands in her luscious hair and bring her as close to him as possible. His heart told him to apologize to her and beg for her forgiveness. Maybe then she would accept him and let him bask in the glory that is her light. Then maybe she let him give her the love he so desperately wanted to give her. She didn't have to love him back, all she had to do was let him love her...

But at the same time his mind told him she probably hated him now. That Akira Sohma begged to no one, least wise a woman who despised him. His mind said that he was strong, and that he didn't need her. He'd never needed anyone, not his mother and definitally not his father. And he didnt need _her_.

Aw even HE didnt believe that. He needed her. Akira needed her as much as he needed air to breathe. If she wasn't in his life, then what was the point of even having a life? She didn't have to love him back. She could hate him, if she wanted. But he'd be her willing slave if she just let him be near her forever...maybe let him hold her once in a while...a kiss would be nice but he'd settle happily for just nearness.

He turned to her, deciding to finally talk to her and beg forgiveness. He opened his mouth when suddenly the car came to a stop. "We're here." Yuki said. Yoko was the first out of the car. He sighed. Akira should have known that she wouldn't just let him talk to her.

* * *

It took a while, but finally the four made their way into Shigure's hospital room. They were told they had a limited time to stay, as Shigure was still very tired and still needed to heal. Akira opened the door and held it open for the others. Yoko didn't look at him as she walked in behind her father and uncle.

Shigure's face lit up as he saw his nephews. "Well look at this. I haven't seen the two of you in years. In a LOT of years." Kyo and Yuki smiled and went to go stand near the bed. They both gave him a big hug, careful not to hurt him. Akira had still not entered the room, which Yoko supposed she was greatful for. The trio at the bed shared insults, as they used to, before Shigure finally noticed the girl hovering close to the door.

"Well who is this beauty?" He asked with a smile. Her hair was a dead giveaway. He'd only met two people who had that hair color, and one had only been 2 at the time. Yoko smiled hesitantly and walked forward to stand by Kyo, who put an arm around her. "Shigure this is Yoko, my daughter." Shigure smiled happily. "Well, aren't you just the image of you're mother."

She nodded, as she'd been told that for years. He studied her for a moment. "Yes. The last time I met you, you were barely walking. You called me Shishi." Yoko blushed. When she was little, she'd had a habit of giving people nicknames. She sat down in a chair, letting the adults talk now.

* * *

Akira stood outside, dreading the meeting to come. He listened to his father talk to Yoko, the love of his life, and chuckled softly. He vaguely remembered something in his research talking about how Yoko gave nick names to people. He wondered if Shigure knew that Akito had passed years ago. Akira sighed. This had to be done.

He slowly walked in, and silence came to the room. Yuki and Kyo looked at each other before nodding and walking out of the room. Yoko silently followed, still not looking at him. Akira sighed before walking up to Shigure. "Shigure." He said, his voice hard.

Shigure sighed and looked at his now fully grown son. The boy looked just like Akito, with a little bit of himself thrown in. He'd been told of the fate that had befallen his beloved. His heart was crushed. He'd waited for years to win her love, and had been so happy when he finally had. They had had their problems, just as all couples had. They had fought when she discovered that she was pregnant. They had fought over names and over just about everything else they could possibly think of. They had loved each other exponentally and loved their son just as much.

"Akira." He said, saddened that he'd missed so much of this poor boy's life. "I am so sorry, son." Akira just glared. "I am not your son anymore." Shigure shook his head dejectedly. "I heard about your mother. I am so sorry that you had to go through that alone." Akira started pacing the room, unable to stand still.

"It's all you're fault. You took her away from me. All of her life after her accident was you. She never came home, never even remembered she had a son until she was lying on her death bed. That last year she only spoke to me once, as she lay dying. All she told me was that she wanted me to take back the family that she had been forced to give up by Kyo, Yuki and Haru Sohma!" Shigure shook his head.

"No, Akira. That's not the way it was. When she was younger her mind was twisted and unhealthy. After the curse was broken, me and her married. For a time, we were extremely happy. When she discovered that she was pregnant, she grew worried that the older staff of the Sohma family would try to raise her child as she'd been raised. So, she decided to give up the Sohma family in order to raise you in strong and stable environment and -"

"YOU'RE LYING!" Akira cried out, interrupting him. "She had never wanted that. They forced her! Besides, if that story was true that means that SHE was lying and she would NEVER lie to me." Shigure shook his head again, his face looking worn and tired. His sense of hearing had been around since the begining. He'd heard the whole thing, from Akito's slow decent back into madness to the time when she herself was dying. He knew the truth.

"She wasn't lying. She told you what she THOUGHT was the truth. I suppose the loss of what had kept her sane in the worst of times snapped her already fragile mind. She went insane, Akira. Her mind just lost all logic and memory. The doctors told me that in the end, she was talking about her being "god" and that she needed to go protect the Zodiac. She didn't remember much of anything, Akira. I'm sorry."

Akira shook his head and clutched his ears in denial. "NO NO NO NO NO." If this was true, everything he'd done for the last decade had been a lie! Everything he'd believed in and everything that he'd worked for had been for nothing! But...it all made sense. Had he used his hatred as a shield to the pain of loosing his mother? Had he been blind to the truth? It had to be. But it couldn't be.

Akira ran out of the room and out of the hospital, ignoring the calls of his father...and the rest of his family.

**Well, here is another chapter. The truth is finally reveled! There is tops two more chapters left in this story and if I get enough reviews saying they want one, I'll write a comanion following the story of Yukino and Sakura. R&R!**


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